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05/09/2026 Weekend Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

I’ve spent time this week getting ready for a family trip at the end of the month. All sorts of list-making, planning, and washing of camping bedding.

I  updated my birthday freebies for 2026- You can find the post here. The list mostly offers what you can find in Southern California.

If you live outside Southern California, check out this list: Free Birthday Stuff: Get The Best 100+ Freebies on Your Birthday!

For free food resources, please refer to my comprehensive list, available here.  It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are available outside my area.

Freebies:

FREE Bottle of Lactaid Creamer at Publix
Easy Ways To Get Free Men’s Cologne Samples
FREE Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Aging 11+ Chatterbox Kit
Get Free Samples by Mail: List of Legitimate Freebies & Free Samples From Brand Name Companies
FREE $25 to Spend on Fragrance at Sephora After Cash Back
FREE Sample of OGX ProGrowth + Peptide Shampoo & Conditioner
FREE Car Wash for Community Heroes at GO Car Wash
FREE $35 to Spend at Walmart After Cash Back
FREE Sample of T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Medicated Cooling Foam
FREE Saffron Road Meal Coupon for Roadies Members
We Rounded Up The Best Free Samples for Men: Check Them Out
Mother’s Day Freebies & Deals RoundUp
Claim Cash in the $750,000 Sealy Bedding Products Class Action Settlement
FREE Great Minds Think Differently Poster
FREE Order of Pita Chips at CAVA
FREE Sample of Ex Nihilo Lust in Paradise Extrait de Parfum
FREE Pollinator Flower Seed Packet from National Geographic
FREE Sandwich During Armed Forces Week at Mission BBQ
FREE Sol de Janeiro Mini Body Cream Duo at Ulta After Cash Back
FREE DocuPet Tag + FREE Shipping
FREE Wendy’s Merch Every Wednesday
FREE Chocolate Dipped Fruit Cone at Edible
FREE 8×10 Photo Print at Walgreens
FREE Movie Ticket to The Wizard of the Kremlin
FREE Garden Basket Build Event for Kids at Lowe’s
Free Full-Size Products from Home Tester Club
FREE Full-Size Hair Gloss or Anti-Frizz Spray
These Are the Best Websites to Get Free Samples & Freebies
FREE 3 lb. Bag of Cuties at Kroger

 

Deals:

New Bath & Body Works Coupon Policy: What You Need to Know
High-Speed Ionic Hair Dryer ONLY $79.99 (Reg $230)
Loungefly Pochacco & Friends Mini Backpack ONLY $29.94 (Reg $50)
Outdoor Patio Umbrella Shade with Auto Tilt ONLY $20 at Walmart
5 Tips to Find the Cheapest Oil Change + Get Oil Change Coupons and Savings
lululemon Belt Bags From $29 + Free Shipping!
Candle Warmer Lamp ONLY $10.49 on Amazon (Reg $25)
Kate Spade Staci Mini Crossbody ONLY $59 (Reg $279)
Prime Members Save 20¢ Per Gallon on Gas – Every Friday!
Home Office Computer Desk with Drawers ONLY $35.98 (Reg $60)
Coach Perfumes as low as $11.99 at Walmart
Luggage Sale at Macy’s Up to 74% Off – Prices From $79.99
10 Bogg Bag Dupes on Amazon That Are Just as Great as the Real Bogg Bag
Mother’s Day Gifts Under $25 at Belk + Free Store Pickup!
Mother’s Day Gifts Under $25 at Walmart + Free Store Pickup
Kohl’s Mother’s Day Gifts Under $25 + Free Store Pickup

2026-Summer Movies for Kids on the Cheap!

Abby H.

One of the kid’s favorite summer activities is to hit up the local theater for a showing of one of their favorite movies.

Big buckets of popcorn, snuck in candy (shhhh), and a drink, and they are ready for 2 hours of fun in the Air Conditioning.

 

Some of the “Usual suspects” have not updated their summer movie programs for 2026. As soon as we get more info, I’ll update.

Landmark Theatres has Family Friendly Films starting June 12, 2026. There are no locations in San Diego County, but there are some in Southern California.

Regal Summer Movie Express usually offers tickets for $2 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, featuring summer movies the whole family will enjoy.

Summer Movie Clubhouse at Cinemark starts June 1, 2026. Bring the kids and enjoy exciting family-friendly big-screen entertainment for just $1.75 (plus taxes) per ticket for each movie.

Lots of smaller theatre chains have also joined this bandwagon! Marcus Theatres, MegaPlex, Epic Theatres are just a few. These theatres do not have locations in California.

Theatre chains that have not published their schedules yet, but in the past have had family/kids movies in the summer:

AMC Theatres has previously had a Summer Movie Camp with tickets starting at $3.oo/each at the box office.

UltraStar Cinemas doesn’t have anything posted yet, but they do offer discounts on tickets and popcorn on Thursdays year-round.

Talk Back: What summer movies are you looking forward to seeing?

Shopping Smarter Matters: Rae’s Way Overdoing It Birthday Video

Abby H.

I saw this video before, but it showed up on my FYP, and while I know it’s supposed to show how crazy the costs of everything have become, I watched it and saw a chance to show everyone how to shop for a birthday party on a budget. No slight to Rae- I love her content and think she is hilarious.

In the video, Rae is at a big box store (Walmart) with a budget of $50 for a friend’s birthday.

Her shopping list included:

  • Cake
  • 2 frozen pizzas
  • 2 suitcases of mini soda cans
  • Candles
  • Plates
  • Cutlery
  • 2 pkg streamers
  • Balloons
  • Plastic tablecloth
  • Banner

At her first go round, she is over budget, so she decides to make the cake from a mix, and proceeds to finish her shop. She does end up over budget by $1.

If our friend Rae started at Dollar Tree…. It would be much different.

For a total of $22.50. With the leftover cash, pick up 2 Costco pizzas, and if there is any leftover, maybe grab 2 pints of store-brand ice cream at Dollar Tree!

I love Dollar Tree for party supplies. There is no reason to spend a lot of money on disposable party supplies. I’ve always done birthday parties on a budget!

5/4/26 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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May is a busy month for us, so it’s important to me that I plan out our meals on Sunday nights for the week.

To keep my grocery budget down, I shop at Aldi (using Instacart, I wrote about how to do it here), our local Grocery Outlet, and use cashback rebates that offer a lot of 100% back (I wrote a post about some of my favorite apps here).

I skipped a grocery trip this week- We have plenty of food, and we had a  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box subscription drop off last Monday and have plenty of fruit and veg to get us through this week. I did a quick grocery inventory on Saturday morning to make sure we’d be ok.

Breakfast: The kids tend to eat cereal, a bagel, or an MBS (Mrs. Bear Special) each morning for breakfast. I usually have a proffee and a slice of toast with goat cheese and spicy honey.

Lunch: M-F I pack myself and the kids’ lunches. I bring 5 lunches to work on Monday and stash them in the fridge. I pack the kids’ lunches each night before bed, except for the cold stuff and ice pack- those I put in when I get up in the morning. This week, my lunch is fridge and freezer clean out leftovers.

Dinner: This week, dinners are pretty simple. We have busy days, so I want to spend as much time as possible with the kids. If one of the kids ends up not liking something, they can have a sandwich or a fruit and a homemade smoothie.

This week’s available fresh fruits are: Apples (3 kinds), oranges, and bananas.

  • Sunday:  Italian Night.
  • Monday: Chicken and Veggies

  • Tuesday: Tortellini Soup, Salad, and Bread

  • Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner (I’m teaching that night)

  • Thursday: Vegetarian chili, bread, and salad

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza and whatever leftover fruit is hanging around.

2026 Teacher Appreciation Week Freebies and Deals

Abby H.

May 4-8, 2026  is Teacher Appreciation Week, and to celebrate, there are some freebies and deals around.

I have only included those in my local area, but if you are outside the Southern CA area, a quick Google search can find you some local freebies.

Chipotle: This one is pretty popular. Chipotle is saying “thank you” by giving away 100,000 FREE Burrito Cards. Enter to win by 5/12.  

Shake Shack: Teachers receive a free ShackBurger or Veggie Burger with a $10 purchase. Must show school ID.

Some Raising Cane’s locations are offering free drinks (excluding lemonade) in May. My local Raising Cane’s is not participating.  Here is the list of participating locations. 

I’ve read online that some Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s locations may do freebies or deals next week; however, I couldn’t confirm anything online.

If you are a Sonic Drive-In fan, download their app and sign up for an account. When you go to account settings and select “I’m a Teacher” to join the Teachers’ Circle.  You will be asked to verify that you are an educator. Update your profile to verify your status as faculty or staff at a K-12 school or degree-granting university. Once you verify, there will be freebies and deals added to your account throughout the year.

These next freebies are not tied to Teacher Appreciation week- these are available year-round and are pretty amazing.

Canva is free for teachers. Canva for Education

Headspace offers a free subscription for educators.

We are Teachers has free printables!

If you are looking for year-round deals, check out ID.me.

May 2026: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

Abby H.

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I usually receive 4-6 offers/freebies per month, sometimes more if I have time to shop. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

In addition to the offers where they mail you a coupon for a free product, Social Nature has started offering 100% cash-back, similar to Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. I love this because I can select exactly what I want, Social Nature tells me which local stores have it, and I can add it to my next shopping list.

And it’s just as easy as Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. Snap a pic and upload it. You can select Venmo, Paypal, or an Amazon Gift Card for your rebate.

This month, there aren’t a ton of free/100% Cashback offers available, but I’ve listed them below.

Wild Tuna in Olive Oil by Rio Mare
Multipack Sparkling Water by Sanzo

There are a lot more offers for BOGO or a percentage off, including brands like Daiyo, Ripple, Calafia Farms, SunButter, Back to Nature, and Javvy Coffee, to name a few.

If you are looking for other rebate sites, similar to Social Nature, check out Aisle,  WeStock, or Peekage.

5/1/2026 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

This week has been wild. I’ll post a separate update tonight, but needless to say, I am so glad it’s Friday.

I  updated my birthday freebies for 2026- You can find the post here. The list mostly offers what you can find in Southern California.

If you live outside Southern California, check out this list: Free Birthday Stuff: Get The Best 100+ Freebies on Your Birthday!

For free food resources, please refer to my comprehensive list, available here.  It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are available outside my area.

Freebies:

FREE Pokemon Button, Photos & More at Target
FREE Sample of Ralphs Club New York Eau De Parfum
FREE Movie Tickets to I Love Boosters
FREE John Frieda Mousse, Shampoo & Conditioner Bundle, or Frizz Control Serum
FREE Blue Square Pin
FREE Hers Hair Care Products
FREE Service of Palm Beach Tan
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – FREE Kids Book Every Month
FREE Breakfast for Teachers at Whataburger on May 7th
FREE Mother’s Day Flower Bouquet Craft Kit at JCPenney
2026 National Pretzel Day Freebies and Deals
Get Your Free Teeth Whitening Samples: A Brighter Smile Awaits
Score a Free Babylist Hello Baby Box Filled with Samples & Full Sized Products
Free Kids’ Magazines: A Gateway to Fun and Learning
FREE Sample of SHEBA Bisque or Purée Cat Treats
FREE Movie Ticket to The Story of Everything
FREE Sample of Love, Nala Cat Food
FREE Febreze Fabric Refresher at Target
FREE Sample of Breathe Right Extra Strength Strips
FREE Ensure Max Protein Shake After Walmart Cash
FREE Petco Mother’s Day Photos + Blue Buffalo Pet Food Samples
FREE Sub at Firehouse Subs for Those Named Mike, Michael, Miguel, Michelle & More
FREE Bvlgari Eau Perfumee The Imperial Eau de Toilette Fragrance Sample
$35 Worth of FREE Books with First Book Marketplace
FREE Reward Every Week with Panda Express Wok Wednesday
FREE LEGO Star Wars Starfighter Build Event
FREE Haircut at Sport Clips If You Have a Mullet
FREE $30 to Spend on Adidas After Cash Back
FREE Sample of Pink Zebra Fragranced Wax Melts
FREE Samples of SheaMoisture Curl Stretch Collection
FREE Summer Fridays Sweet Pink Duo Lip Butter Balm at Sephora After Cash Back
How to Get Free Beauty Samples Without Spending a Dime
FREE Movie Tickets to Young Washington
FREE Pack of Stonyfield YoBaby Multipack Cups or Pouches
FREE Jackson’s Summer Snacking Party Pack
FREE Fragrance Samples from Macy’s
Get Free Beauty Product Samples With Topbox Circle

 

Deals:

Subway BOGO Deal: Buy 1, Get 1 Footlong Sub – New Subway Coupons for May
Kohl’s Up to 85% Off Clearance Sale is LIVE – Deals Start at $0.72
Prime Members Save 20¢ Per Gallon on Gas – Every Friday!
Kobalt Portable Mini Toolbox ONLY $16.98 at Lowe’s (Reg $22)
11 Things Costco Members Can Get for Free Included In Their Membership
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil On Sale for $2 at Home Depot
The 12 Best Stanley Cup Dupes You Can Buy Online on a Budget (Durable & Affordable)
Macy’s Jewelry up to 70% Off – Prices as low as $29 | Mother’s Day Gif Ideas!
The Big One Bath Towels and Pillows for $2.39 at Kohl’
CHI Infra Thermal Care Kit ONLY $17.74 Shipped (Reg $47)
Libman Spin Mop With Bucket ONLY $19.98 (Reg $40)

Meal Kit Round Up and Deals!

Abby H.

I love trying out meal kits; they are a great way to try new recipes with new ingredients that I may not already have on hand. Here are a few of the meal kits that I’ve tried, links to reviews, and any deals or coupon codes I could find.

One of my favorites is still Dream Dinners. Our local location is closed, but there is one in Northern San Diego County that offers pick-ups in La Mesa. I can order online and pick up at a location convenient to me.

 

Overall, my favorite mail-order/delivery meal kit company is Dinnerly.

They have a nice mix of kid-friendly dishes and stuff that is decidedly more “grown-up food”. I wrote a review here. In addition to having a nice mix of dishes to choose from, the other thing I like is that Dinnerly is the first subscription meal kit service to offer $4.49 per serving. My big qualm with meal kits is that the meals can sometimes be upwards of $8-$10/per serving. At that point, you might as well go out for dinner!

 

Gobble has a really great deal. Choose your meals and receive a Gobble box for $36 for 6 meals. I recently ordered this, so we’ll see how it turns out! Here is why I decided to try it:

    • Choose your meals from our diverse weekly menu. Gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, & vegetarian options are available.
    • Their team of chefs does all the tedious prep work for you — no more chopping, measuring, or a sink full of dishes
  • Your freshly made 15-minute dinner kits will arrive in a refrigerated box to your doorstep. No commitment. Adjustable to your schedule.

Talk Back: I’d love to hear about any meal kits that you or your family have tried and liked. 

Kids Bowl Free- It’s Back for Summer 2026!

Abby H.

file0001910298986.jpgLooking for something fun, air-conditioned, and cheap to do this summer with the kids?

Kids Bowl Free has been around for years, and it’s a great way to get kids active, even when it’s hot outside. I’m so excited it’s back again.

Kids 2-12 can bowl 2 games for free each day the program is running at participating bowling centers all across the US and Canada. All you pay for is shoe rental- or bring your own if you have them!kidsbowlfree_logo-new-2019.jpg

This program is available all over the US and Canada. The complete list can be found here. Sign up is quick and easy. To get started, register here. If you live in San Diego, the only bowling alley participating is Aztec Lanes.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of this deal! It’s one of our favorite summer activities.

April 2026: Upcoming Free Classes at Michaels!

Abby H.

I love Michaels! Not only do they have great sales and coupons, but they also have free Arts and Crafts classes at many locations. Some classes are for adults, but the majority of classes are hands on classes for kids.

 

Our local location has free classes coming up in April- I’ve signed Ryder up for them. My kids love hands-on crafts!

Did you also know that Michaels has a rewards club? Sign up for Michaels Rewards today and earn $5 in Rewards when you spend $25 or more!